Music In Love
by poodlehair92
Summary: Severus and Hermione are working side by side, trying to get along and control the music that rules their life and their hidden love. OK IT ISNT WORKING WHEN I TRY TO PUT UP A NEW CHAPTER SO BE PATIENT ! ! ! !
1. And we're back in Black

Yeah, I don't own any of this stuff, but wouldn't it be awesome if I did? Yeah I promise to put back all of the wonderful Ms. Rowling's characters when I am done. Although I have requested that I have a little bit more time with Severus, but that is just because he is so darn cute. Oh and I also don't own Back In Black by AC/DC, my friend Lauren wishes she did though.

Chapter 1:

"_My god Miss Granger, what is this insufferable noise you are listening to?"_

Hermione Granger bit back a smile, knowing it would just upset him more. She was Professor Snape's apprentice, and they had developed what could be considered a working relationship, which basically meant that Snape had learned to tolerate having her in his presence for more than a normal class period, but she cherished it none the less. At the present time, however, she appeared to be getting on his nerves just a little bit. As he yelled she managed to start daydreaming about the past, and the war.

The war was over and life was going on. Well, at least as well as life could go on with all of the losses suffered. Losses to the Light were small, but there were still enough people missing from Hermione's life to make a difference. Parvati Patil, Percy Weasley, Seamus, and Hagrid, to name a few, were casualties. She would still wake up screaming at night, not an unusual occurrence for any of the war veterans.

Professor Snape was most definitely on the top of the list of war heroes. After being accused of the murder of Albus Dumbledore, he was on the run with Draco Malfoy or about a month. But it wasn't true, he hadn't murdered his only father figure, in fact Albus wasn't even dead! That night on the Astronomy Tower, he didn't say the Killing Curse with the intent to kill, instead he used non-verbal magic and put a curse on Dumbledore that would cause him to stop breathing and fall into unconsciousness while still being alive. He then, a split second later, sent a cushioning charm and a strong disarming curse to send him over the tower without injuring him.

About a month later Albus awoke from his sleep and testified for Severus. She had to admit, it does help clear your name when the man you supposedly 'murdered' testifies on your behalf. So Severus Snape was cleared of all charges and received his old potions position back. Not that everything was back to normal. He still had people sending him death threats and nasty letters. He just got used to it.

Her parents had given her a CD player for Christmas, not knowing that electronics didn't work at Hogwarts. So she, in a burst of inspiration, had brought it with her to Diagon Alley the last time she was there and found a shop that could charm it to work inside Hogwarts. Since Professor Snape had told her that had business to attend to while she was going to be working that day, she had brought it with her. Her Aunt Jessie had given her a mixed CD with some of Hermione's favorite muggle songs on it, so she had it blaring out of the radio when he walked in.

"_It's a CD player, a muggle device that….."_ she stopped short at the look on his face, it appeared to be a mixture of wanting to hex her and being slightly amused. _"It plays music, The Beach Boys right now, but I can change songs if you would like."_

Hermione was willing to bend, but there was no way he was going to make her give up the music she cherished so much. She was a freak for muggle music because it reminded her of home, and it was a lot catchier that the wizarding world's music,

"_Since you apparently are not going to turn it off, yes, I would appreciate it if you would at least change songs. Oh, and who exactly is Rhonda?"_ he asked, clueless as to who they were singing about.

This time Hermione really had to force herself to not bust out laughing, but the song that came on next was the last straw. She let out a giant guffaw when she heard the tapping at the beginning of her favorite AC/DC song. It had to be the muggle equivalent of his theme song, and she found it hilarious. Unfortunately he didn't appear to.

"_Miss Granger, what is the meaning of this. How on earth could this song be so funny that it has caused you to bust out the laughter that you have been poorly trying to hide since I stepped into the room? You should compose yourself imme…"_ at this point of his rant the chorus had started and he immediately got exactly why she was laughing so hard.

_'Cause I'm back! Yes, I'm back!  
Well, I'm back! Yes, I'm back!  
Well, I'm baaack, baaack...  
Well, I'm back in black,  
Yes, I'm back in black!_

Authors Note: sorry this is so short, I promise the next chapters will be longer that this one but my eyes actually hurt from looking at the computer for so long, so I kind of rushed this. Please review, but I do understand if you don't have time. (Lord knows I'm busy enough to understand that). The inspiration for this fic came from two occasions. One, being the time that I was talking to my friend Brooke, and she was telling me about finding people's theme songs from her mom's ipod. The other one was yesterday in the car as I was listening to mine and trying to find them. I was stumped for this one until I thought about people I didn't actually know and TADA!!!! Brilliance, sheer brilliance (just kidding, I'm not Lockhart)


	2. Cheaters, Cheetos, and Roses

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of this except my unchanging idea of what the Great Hall looks like (even after I have seen the movies I still imagine it differently). Even though possession is 9/10 of the law I still don't possess this.

"What on earth is the meaning of this!" he bellowed at Hermione

This time laughing was the furthest thing from Hermione's mind, well okay it was still funny but she feared more for her life now. She had seen Professor Snape upset before, but not like this, at least not since Sirius had been alive. Unfortunately, she was on the receiving side of his anger this time, a place that could make even the bravest wizards and witches tremble. So Hermione decided to take the high road, and respond in a calm and mature way.

"I'm sorry Sir; I didn't mean to offend you. This is a mixed CD that my aunt gave me, and this happens to be one of my favorite muggle songs. It is kind of funny though, don't you think?"

Well unfortunately for her, Professor Snape didn't seem to find this as amusing as she did; in fact he looked downright offended that she blew this off like it was no big deal.

"Funny, I don't find anything amusing about this at all. First, you come into _my _personal lab with, your muggle music toy (Hermione let out an indignant huff at this, her CD player wasn't a toy), then, when this vaguely offending song comes on, you laugh, at me. I figured, after working as my apprentice for almost 4 months, you would have learned not to cross me like that. Well, what do you have to say for yourself, or did you lose your voice from all of the laughing?"

By the end of this statement he had calmed down a little bit, even teasing her a little with the losing your voice comments. Sure he was still affronted, but he was seeing the humor of his situation more. Not that he was going to let Hermione know that. Even though she was what you would call his friend; and funny, and smart, and beautiful with the way just one strand of hair would fall out of her ponytail while she was working, just asking to be pushed behind her ear (by him, of course). Okay, so he admitted it, he had it bad for her. '_But I am almost old enough to be her father, _he thought_, plus even if the age weren't a factor, she would never fall for me, I am the 'Greasy Git' and "The Overgrown Bat' or my personal favorite, 'The Vampire of the Dungeons'. Vampire indeed, I am just a little pale. Anyway I am just not her type, not that I know what her type is, but she deserves better. Oh well, back to the task at hand.'_

Hermione, however, was having the same conversation inside her own head. She was apologizing profusely, trying to get him to see that she was just joking around. After all, Hermione Granger doesn't like people upset at her for no particular reason. Especially people that she happens to be in love with. '_Oops, did I just think that? I know that I like him, but love? That is an awfully big step, especially since he would never like me back. I will always be the little insufferable school girl he has to deal with. And even I he did, he would probably be all chivalrous and say he's too old or something like that. Like I can't make my own decisions, humph.' _

"Okay," he said, appearing to be fed up with the situation, "I guess it was just a misunderstanding. Just get back to work."

A few weeks later would find them working in his lab again. It had become a habit for them to listen to her radio, including Hermione's mixed CD. When the song would come on she would still blush violently, and he would sneer, but in his head he was always smiling. Severus had come to think of it as almost 'their song', not that he would ever admit it aloud. After the little incident, they had been on better terms that ever, and even when Hermione's work time was up, she would stay and talk for a while. And since it was summer, they didn't have to deal with usual stressors of the student teacher relationship as much. Of course Severus still let her know that he was in charge, not that she overstepped that boundary unless they were done working. He made it clear that there would be no fooling around while they made potions. Until one day when he went just a little too far.

"Well Miss Granger, I have a vaguely personal question for you. What ever happened to you and Mr. Weasley? It was obvious he liked you."

Hermione sighed, of course he didn't know. He is about the only person who didn't, and for that she had always considered herself lucky. Until now, that is. It was one the biggest scandals in the Wizarding world, headline news. _Hottest Couple; Broken up at last?: Ronald Weasley found cheating on popular war heroine and girlfriend Hermione Granger with secretary. Blah, blah, blah. That was only one of many articles written like that, the only good thing was that they all blamed Ron for the breakup, which was entirely true._ _Well, I suppose I have to tell him now._

"Well Professor Snape, Ronald and I hit a bumpy patch and decided that it was best that we broke up." There, that was close enough to the truth.

"Really, what happened?"

"I don't really want to talk about it, if that's okay."

"Oh come on, you can't tell me that much and expect me to just forget about it."

"You are starting to sound disturbingly like Lavender Brown, Professor."

"Oh for god's sake woman, out with it already!"

"You want to know why we aren't together anymore. Because he cheated on me behind my back and I dumped him! Is that what you wanted to hear? You couldn't just respect my privacy and wish to drop it, could you? Noooo, you're the great "Professor Snape' and you just won't leave it alone! I have to go, I'll see you tomorrow!"

By the end of this little speech Hermione was screaming, her face was bright red, and she was crying. He had obviously hit a nerve, but being the male he was, never realized it. She then gathered up her things and slammed the door on her way out, leaving him with a lot of things to think about.

Hermione, on the other hand wasn't thinking at all. She was so upset that she didn't even realize that she had gotten back to her rooms, and said the password to get in. She was staying in the Head's dorm while she was there over the summer, and her room fit her perfectly. It had cream walls, mauve silk beddings, and a giant oak wardrobe. But in her fury she didn't notice any of the beauty, she instead got undressed, and hopped in the shower. She turned the water on hot, and had herself a good cry.

After she got out of the shower she felt a lot better, after all, she found that crying will help you feel better. As she padded out of her bathroom with her favorite bathrobe on, she noticed something sitting on her bed. Upon closer inspection she realized it was a red rose. She wondered who it was from, and when she picked it up she got her answer.

_Hermione,_

_I am dreadfully sorry to have upset you like that; I should know when to stop. I didn't mean to hurt you._

_Forgive me_

_Severus Snape_

Hermione was shocked; she had never heard the man apologize for anything in all her years at Hogwarts, let alone to her. The rose was really the icing on the cake; it may have been the sweetest thing she had ever gotten. She would never tell this to anyone, but she was a freak for romance novels, and this definitely sounded like a one. Now if only the gorgeous hero would come and sweep her off of her feet… _'Yeah right, I doubt if Severus Snape has ever attempted to sweep someone off of their feet' _the little voice in her head told her, _'and if he were going to, I doubt it would be you that he is sweeping'. _"Damn voice" she muttered to herself while silently agreeing with it.

Yeah, I kinda based the whole romance novel thing after me, because I am in love with them, and my closest guy friend was teasing me about obsession with them. Then he said that he should have known, because all know-it-all's have a hidden love for romance, so why should I be any different. So I figured if he was right, and he usually is, that Hermione would be like me in that fashion. Comments are appreciate, but not necessary!


	3. Luuuuurve, Girlie Moments, and Fuckwits

Disclaimer: Well I've gotten this far, I would hope you know that I get that I don't own any of this. I can, however, give you a detailed list of things I _do_ own if you would like me to. Oh, wait, that isn't my job, I'm supposed to be writing beautiful fan fiction for you.

Chapter 3:

Severus Snape sat in his rooms, plagued by thoughts of his former student. _Former is key word there. _A small voice in his head reminded him.

"Oh shut up" he said out loud.

_See, she bothers you that badly; you've even lost you calm and cool upper-hand in this situation by sending her that rose and note. You're an old fool._

Severus smiled, thinking about the rose, did Hermione honestly think he missed the romance novel she had been hiding in her bag every day? He didn't use to be a spy for nothing, after all. His keen observation skills had let him notice the tiny things about her, including her love for romance. He figured the rose would be a good touch, to get her to forgive him. He honestly hadn't meant to upset her, but when he got interested with something, he had a tendency to not give up. _Unfortunately I ended up making one of the few people I trust mad at me in the process. Well I can only hope she will forgive me eventually. How else will we become friends, and eventually have her fall in love with me. Wait, did I just think that? Wow, that is a hell of a Slytherin-esque plan, even for me. Well I certainly can let Hermione know what I am thinking; especially she is still coming back tomorrow._

_Well that settles it, I'm in love; that is the only thing I could think of that would make me think and act like this. I have to keep my cool, if Hermione notices something is up, I may just push her away even more. Just pretend like nothing has happened at all, no life changing revelations or anything._

The next morning Hermione was in a panic, she was having a girlie moment and had no idea what to do. Plus she was mad at herself for even thinking the most important question a girl could think of when they liked someone "_Oh my god, what am I going to wear?" _It wasn't something she was used to having to deal with, so she had to worry all by herself. _It's not as if Professor Snape hasn't seen you every day for the past two months. He probably won't even notice what you are wearing. Then again it isn't every day he sends you a red rose too._

So on through her closet she went, she had to dress casual because she was going to be making potions all day, but it was cooler in the dungeons. Aha! The ideal outfit, a pair of Muggle low-rise blue jeans and a low cut, scoop-neck tee. The shirt was turquoise and made her skin glow. She threw on a touch of makeup, a pair of slip on brown shoes, and grabbed her robes to put on over that. Then, after saying goodbye to Crookshanks, she took one last deep breath and walked out the door, to what felt like her doom.

The walk to the dungeons was probably the longest walk it felt like she had ever taken. Things you are nervous about tend to do that, unfortunately. Hermione had developed what could be called a mantra '_I will not freak out. He probably didn't mean anything special. I will just make things worse if I show that it affected me' _she kept repeating that in her head, trying to convince herself that it was true, but hoping with all of her heart that it wasn't.

As soon as the clock struck nine Severus looked at the door, Hermione was supposed to arrive at nine so she should be here any second. The next thing he knew, she had walked in the door.

"Good morning Ms. Granger, I hope you slept well" _I am such an idiot _I hope you slept well _smooth move fuckwit. That was the lamest greeting on the face of the earth, she is going to think that you are insane._

"Hi," she mumbled, blushing profusely "I'm oka... okay, thanks."_ Wow Granger, that might be the most brilliant thing you've ever said. He probably thinks you are a bumbling idiot now. Great, that's exactly what you need._

Severus, on the other hand, was getting that annoying pang of hope that people get when they think things may finally be turning their way. He had noticed Hermione's nervous-ness, but he didn't think her to be a bumbling idiot. In fact, he thought it was sweet. Plus it boosts every male's ego when they can make a woman speechless, and he had definitely done that to Hermione Granger. He even let part of the smirk he was holding in come out, not that he thought that she had noticed, of course. She was too busy blushing as she got her things out of her bag.

But Hermione had noticed, Severus Snape wasn't the only observant one in the room, she noted with grim pleasure. She had seen the smirk, and it made her wonder. _Wait, does that mean he cares? Why does he take pleasure in the fact that he embarrassed me? Maybe he likes me too, and thinks I may be showing interest, which I am. Maybe I should test out my theory._

"So, _Professor _Snape; what do you have planned for me today? I'm open for anything." Hermione asked in her most innocently seductive voice.

_Holy shite, what the hell is she trying to do, kill me? Wait, maybe she is. She could have detected that something is up, and is trying to figure it out. Well then, two can play at this game… _

"Well, I have a potion to work on, but it takes two people to make it, because you have to say a spell together, while holding hands. Will that be a problem for you Miss Granger?" he drawled in semi-flirting tone.

Hermione panicked, and thought to herself._ Well crap, that's not exactly what I had planned, holding hands. I think I'm going to faint. I have enough trouble just being in the same room with him, any physical contact might just set me over the edge, Well, I most certainly can't let him know that this is bothering me. So you just need to act like this won't affect you at all. Wait, I get to hold hands with him, YAY !_

"Sure Professor Snape, that sounds fine, when do we get to work?" if her voice sounded a little squeaky, no one acknowledged it.

"As soon as you finish getting your things out of your bag." _That little chit has no idea what she is getting herself into. Oh, I'll hold her hand, but I'll be a little closer to her than normal hand holders. _If Hermione were looking at that time, she would have seen a slightly evil looking smile on his face, and she would have known that she most definitely _would _be affected.

This was kind of a filler chapter, but I promise the next one will be better. It's going to be a flashback to the end of the year ball, when Hermione and Severus realized they like each other. Let's just say it involves swing music and a tipsy Professor McGonagall. Have fun trying to picture that.


	4. We're havin' a ball ya'll

I don't own Harry Potter, or Zoot Suit Riot by the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. But I would love, to because I really like that song.

As Hermione approached the work table she was remembering the night of the graduation ball, when she first realized her feelings for her professor.

_Flashback_

She took one last look in the mirror, and smiled in satisfaction. She looked amazing, wearing a dark green dress (in honor of who she was going to be apprenticing with) with a sweetheart neckline, that was cinched at the waist, showing of a great figure and flowed out at the bottom, stopping mid calf. Her hair had calmed down a little bit, and with a touch of hair product it flowed down her back in soft curls. Ginny had helped her with the makeup and she had on a red-ish tinted lip-gloss, mascara, eyeliner, and a touch of blush. All in all she looked amazing, not that she had anyone to look good for. Harry and Ron were going to be her escorts tonight, just as friends of course. Oh sure, there were a few guys (Hufflepufs) that had asked her to go, but she wanted to be with them.

She descended down the staircase, and smiled at the look on Harry and Ron's faces. They were gaping up at her in amazement. Finally Harry managed to stutter out a comment.

"You look beautiful Mione, but how did you get your hair to cooperate? Are you sure you didn't get a date for this thing, cause I don't see how you couldn't have."

"Shut up you flirt," Hermione countered right back. "You know that there is no one I would rather go with, than you two. But if you don't stop, I'm gonna tell your girlfriend."

Ginny had been kind enough to lend out Harry for awhile, she was going to go with a bunch of her girlfriends. Ron was single, not being able to be tied down to one girl, but he liked Hermione, that much was obvious to everyone. That may have explained why he wasn't able to form complete sentences yet.

"Well come on guys, let's go. Don't wanna be late. But remember, towards the end, all apprentices have to share a dance with their apprentice masters. Dumbledore just couldn't resist because all the female professors picked male apprentices and vice versa..."

"Ewwww, you're kidding me" Ron finally had something to say, "Does that mean you have to dance with the Greasy Git, Mione?"

"He's not a greasy git; Professor Snape is a noble, intelligent man, who risked his life many times in the war for us. So I would appreciate it if you would show some respect. But yes, I will be dancing with him." Hermione replied, "That doesn't necessarily mean that we are going to slow dance though. Dumbledore told us that he had found a machine that automatically picks a type of music that we both already know how to dance with. So I won't be stuck waltzing, or Snape won't be stuck break dancing"

"Okay thanks for the picture of Snape break dancing. Now, every time I see him, I'm going to have to try not to bust out laughing." Harry said with a grimace.

And then an expression of thoughtfulness appeared on Ron's face. "Wait, you know how to break dance?

"You'd be surprised at what I know Ronald. It's not just all books in my head." And with that she walked away, arm in arm with Harry. A few seconds later Ron caught up and linked onto her other arm.

They walked into the ball and were instantly amazed. Dumbledore had really outdone himself this time. The Great Hall was softly lit with floating candles, and everything was cream colored. It created sort of a soft glow to the room, and Hermione thought it couldn't be more beautiful. She quickly looked around for other people she knew, and somehow managed to catch Professor Snape's eyes. She gave him a radiant smile, and he acknowledged her with a nod of his head and a small smirk. The war may be over, but he was still as bad tempered as ever. The smirk was practically like a hug or something from a friend, so Hermione was touched. _I suppose_ _he's just trying to be polite_ _since he's gonna have to deal with me for a while. I shouldn't dwell on it, _

All of a sudden she was almost attacked by a group of girls, Lavender Brown leading the way.

"Hermione, oh my god! You look beautiful, your hair is amazing, and that dress. I can't believe Dumbledore made this thing muggle themed, but you look sexy, girl." She gushed, loudly.

Loudly enough, in fact, that everyone in the immediate area heard, including Professor Snape. He turned towards her and looked her up and down, then gave a small smirk and shrugged. Hermione would have happily stuck her tongue out at him, but she decided to keep the maturity level up. Then she got a great idea, she would completely play it up! So she turned towards him, looked up through her eyelashes, and gave him a waggle fingered wave and a sexy smile. _Take that asshole._

She could almost see him get hit with the impact. His mouth formed a small o of surprise and he took a deep breath. Then he put his usual façade on and glowered, although it wasn't a heartfelt as usual.

"Ummm Mione," Harry said, "Tell me if I'm wrong, but were you just flirting with Snape? Cause that's what it looked like from here."

"Gods no Harry," she quickly replied, "I was just joking, because he was teasing me about what Lavender said."

"And you could tell all of this from just looking at him?" Ron replied scathingly.

"Yes we can, Mr. Weasley, is that a problem?" Snape drawled from behind him, scaring Ron half to death. He had so without their notice, and Hermione, who had seen the whole thing, was cracking up. "Not everyone here has the mental capacity of a peanut."

"No Sir," Ron muttered weakly.

"I did, however come over here for a reason." He said with a slightly nicer tone, while addressing Hermione, and he turned to her. That was probably a good thing, in light of the fact that Harry had just remembered the break dancing thing, and was almost in tears,

"Dumbledore told me that all apprentices and their teachers are to meet up at the Head Table at 10:30 for the dance. We have to go one group at a time too." He said in annoyance," Blasted old fool, he's doing this just to humiliate us teachers."

But after a look from Hermione he added,

" And the students too. I'll see you at ten thirty, sharp, Miss Granger. Oh, and Miss Brown, try to keep your voice down. I don't really think all of the seventh years want to know how _'sexy' _Miss Granger looks tonight, and I certainly don't need to be told _that_." And with that parting shot, he walked away.

Before she knew what had happened it was almost 10:30, and Hermione was having a lot of fun. She had spent a lot of time, however, thinking about what Snape had said; or moreover, how he said it. When he said he didn't need to be told that she was sexy, he said it in a tone that implied that it was because he already knew she was. And she wasn't the only one to notice it, both Harry and Ginny shot her one of those _'Did he really just mean that how he said it' _looks. Oh well she had eventually given up on trying to figure out the enigma that was Severus Snape, and danced, And she had danced with nearly every guy in seventh year, except for Slytherins, but that was about to change. As she looked up at the clock it said 10:29 so she made her excuses, and headed towards the Heads table where Professor Snape was waiting, with a look on his face like he was about to take a walk through hell.

"Miss Granger, I see that you didn't have enough sense to go missing or become ill before this started, so we could get out of dancing. Oh well, most of these people will never see me again anyway."

Normally that would sound rude to her, but Snape said it in a way that didn't make it sound offensive. The next thing she knew Professor Dumbledore had stood up and called everyone's attention to the teachers and apprentices. The first pair to go was Ernie Macmillan and Professor McGonagall, who looked slightly drunk. They, much to everyone's amusement, were tap dancing. Hermione was watching with a bemused smile on her face when Professor Snape leaned over to her and whispered in her ear,

"I don't know what disturbs me more' A: that McGonagall knows how to tap dance, B: that Mr. Macmillan can do it too, or C: that they really aren't half bad."

Hermione smirked in a very Snape-ish fashion and replied, "I would have to go with C, Professor. They could be really good, if McGonagall weren't drunk off her arse."

Then a shocked look came over her face when she realized who she just said that to. She was about to start apologizing, and started to think _Oh shit, please don't take points. Please don't take points,_ but stopped when Snape bust out laughing. _A real laugh, not a smirk or a condescending chuckle, but a real laugh._ Hermione was shocked, in all her years at Hogwarts she had never heard the man laugh, but now that she had, she was going to do everything in her power to make it happen again. _He has the most beautiful laugh_ she thought. Then he replied,

"Wow, I never thought, in all my years teaching you, that the great know-it-all Hermione Granger even knew how to swear. I guess I was wrong, and by the way, you may have an idea about the drunken thing." He said with a smirk.

While they were talking, Professor Sprout and Neville had gone up and were waltzing. After that came Professor Flitwick and Cho Chang, who were doing the tango. The song was almost over when Professor Snape leaned over again and whispered.

"I think we're the only ones left." The song had ended and theirs was starting. They looked over at each other in complete horror when they heard the beginnings of swing music. She didn't even have to use Legilimency to tell what he was thinking, it was the same as her_ SHITE ! _

"I take it you can swing dance, Professor Snape?" she asked with a nervous smile on her face as they approached the dance floor. She may have been horrified at the thought of getting in front of all of her classmates and dancing like this, but it might be worth it to see Professor Snape swing.

He glowered at her, but still replied "Yes, I learned from my mother when I was younger. And you?"

She replied that she learned from taking a class with a few of her muggle friends one summer. Then she got worried when a challenging smirk crept into his eyes. He turned to her and said,

"I'm sure you're adequate, but I'll try to take it easy so you can keep up. I don't want you to make a bigger fool out of us than is already being made."

_Oh, no he didn't. _She thought defensively. _That's it, he's going down._

She quickly replied. "I'm sure I'm good enough to keep up with you at your best _attempts_ at out-showing me" she replied scathingly. By this time they had reached the floor, Hermione faintly recognized the song as a muggle one _Zoot Suit Riot_, before she was swept up into her professor's arms as he whispered in a low voice,

"We'll see,"

Then, the next thing she knew, she was swing dancing, and pretty complicatedly too. The entire time she promised to herself, _I'm not gonna take my eyes off of his eyes. 'Adequate' my arse. He's good and so am I. So I'm just going to make this a show for everyone else._ She smiled as she heard the chorus blare loudly from the enchanted speakers

_Zoot suit riot, (Riot)  
Throw back a bottle of beer  
Zoot suit riot (Riot)  
Pull a comb through your coal black hair  
Zoot suit riot, (Riot)  
Throw back a bottle of beer  
Zoot suit riot (Riot)  
Pull a comb through your coal black hair_

By that time they had really gotten into the music. Hermione was swinging her hips and the next thing she knew she saw a smirk sweep over Professor Snape's face and he dipped her. She giggled as she came back up, before realizing what this must look like to everyone else in the Great Hall. _Oh well, he's having fun and so am I. _She had kept her promise and kept her eyes on his the entire time, and he was unable to hide his amusement at their dancing. Professor Snape had a small smile on his face and he must have looked 10 years younger. _He would be really attractive if he smiled more. Wait, did I just think that?_ But it was true. By that time, the song was almost over. For the finale, he picked her up by the waist and swung her around. The last beats of the song died out, and they were just looking at each other, breathing heavily. His hands were still on her waist, and everyone was clapping.

"I suppose that you were a little better than adequate, Miss Granger." That also would have sounded mean, but his hands hadn't moved, and were gripping her waist in a suggestive manner. Plus he was smiling, a new thing for him. "I'll see you Monday morning at 9:00p.m. sharp." He said as he walked away.

_You better be careful, Hermione, if he keeps this up, you just might find yourself a little in love with him. _Little did she know, Snape was thinking the same thing as he walked away.

_End Flashback_

She smiled as she walked up to the cauldrons, hoping today would be just as good. And said to the man she just may be a little in love with,

"

Well professor, let's get to work. Sounds like fun"

Author's Note: Wow, I absolutely loved writing this chapter. I had so much fun, but I just hope Snape wasn't too OOC. I absolutely love Lavender Brown's character, because she really reminds me of one of my friends. Well you know the drill, reviews are appreciated, but not necessary.


	5. Tight Squeezes, and First Name Basis

Chapter 5

If I were as rich as the lovely Ms. Rowling then I would buy more things then I need to. But alas, since I am not, I just have to rely on begging my dad until I annoy him enough to buy me a book I _have_ to own.

'_Great. Abso-freakin-lutely brilliant.' _Were the thoughts of one Professor Severus Snape. No, there wasn't a Longbottom in the building or even a Potter, but he had just done the most stupid thing he had done in a long while. In trying to unnerve Hermione Granger he had just made life a lot harder (no innuendo intended). He was working in way too close conditions with a beautiful lady, whom he just happened to be in love with. Yep, the little potions workspace was just a little too small. Every time he reached for an ingredient he managed to brush up against her and she would do the same thing to him.

He eventually got tired of the lack of conversation

"So are you going to turn on your radio, or are you going to leave me to figure it out for myself?"

He asked in mocking tone.

"Since you appear to be incompetent in doing so I guess I will"

But as luck would have it, as walked past him to turn on the radio she pressed up against him and they both froze. They were both kinda stuck and didn't know which way to move. She tried moving to her left, but in doing so she just pressed herself against him even harder. The worst part of it all is that no one was saying anything. They were just looking into each other's widened eyes, and in Hermione's case blushing.

'_Oh dear lord, what did I do to deserve this?' _The little voice in his head asked him. But instead of voicing these thoughts aloud he put his hands on her shoulders and scooted in the opposite direction, trying to ignore his rapidly beating heart.

"Sorry about that. I suppose I should make more space in the work station."

"That's okay sir, here let me turn on the radio. I got a new CD that my cousin Shannon sent me, is that okay?"

"Sure Hermione that is fine. I know very little about muggle music, but can you see if you can keep it semi-edited this time. I don't know who that Eminem is, but he needs to watch his mouth."

Hermione stifled a giggle and popped in her new CD. She had come out of her shell the past month and had even started singing out loud in front of her professor after he assured her that he wouldn't mind. She was actually pretty good, but didn't believe it. The first strains of music started to play and she smiled, her cousin knew exactly what she liked as far as music went.

Severus looked over at her curiously but she just smiled before she started singing.

_Doctors have come from distant cities  
Just to see me  
Stand over my bed  
Disbelieving what they're seeing_

They say I must be one of the wonders  
Of god's own creation  
And as far as they can see they can offer  
No explanation

Newspapers ask intimate questions  
Want confessions  
They reach into my head  
To steal the glory of my story

They say I must be one of the wonders  
Of god's own creation  
And as far as they can see they can offer  
No explanation

O, I believe  
Fate smiled and destiny  
Laughed as she came to my cradle  
Know this child will be able  
Laughed as my body she lifted  
Know this child will be gifted  
With love, with patience and with faith  
She'll make her way

By that time she was really into it and Severus had stopped all pretense of work to stop and listen. It was times like these that he realized why he liked Hermione so much. She honestly had no idea how she affected him, it was crazy. She could sing like and angel and it made him slightly smug to know that she was comfortable enough around him to do it. Of course Hermione was still working, she could multi-task, but she hadn't noticed Severus's halt yet. He just smiled as she continued.

_People see me  
I'm a challenge to your balance  
I'm over your heads  
How I confound you and astound you  
To know I must be one of the wonders  
Of god's own creation  
And as far as you can see you can offer me  
No explanation_

O, I believe  
Fate smiled and destiny  
Laughed as she came to my cradle  
Know this child will be able  
Laughed as she came to my mother  
Know this child will not suffer  
Laughed as my body she lifted  
Know this child will be gifted  
With love, with patience and with faith  
She'll make her way

As the next song came on, Severus vaguely heard something about Billion Dollar Babies but was paying most of his attention to Hermione who was working quickly and efficiently at first, but soon came to a stop as she realized that her ex-Professor was starting at her in a strange manner.

What?" she asked looking confused

Do you seriously think you sing badly? That was beautiful." His expression didn't change, but she saw the finest hint of a smile in his eyes.

Hardly" she replied in a manner that suggested that he was lying

Fine, believe what you want to believe, but _I _know the truth. You can too sing, and you know it." Severus suddenly realized his resemblance to a four-year-old and added in his most teacher-like voice "Now get back to work, we have a lot of important potion making to do."

Unfortunately Hermione wasn't affected and giggled before saying in her most school-girlish voice, "Yes Professor, I'll do anything you'd like Professor, as long as I can get an A."

At the look that came over his face she stopped and thought about what she had just said. Just as she started to blush Professor Snape said,

"Anything? Now really Miss Granger, I never knew you were the type. Hmmmm, perhaps I evaluated you wrongly."

"Well Professor, I didn't know you had such a dirty mind, I was thinking like cleaning out cauldrons, not whatever you thought…."

Severus almost looked embarrassed until he caught the look on her face. It was a mixture between teasing and the little bit of embarrassment she still felt about the 'A'_ comment_.

"Well we'll see about that. I think you can finish the rest of the potion on your own then." Severus stepped back to watch and make sure she was doing everything right. Of course she was doing everything perfect as usual, that is until the last ingredient. She started to put the powdered root of asphodel in to early; a mistake that was common but would have caused the potion to explode everywhere. Thankfully Severus had good reflexes because at the last minute he pulled her hand away, a little too forcefully apparently, because it caused Hermione to be pulled up against him. Not that either one of them minded.

"Oh gosh," she breathed out still pushed against him," I almost really messed that up didn't I?"

"Yeah you sort of did Hermione."

_When did I start calling her Hermione to her face?_

_When did he start calling me Hermione? And why does she affect me like this? _

"Well thank you" she said still shocked by him calling her Hermione to her face.

"No problem, but you should probably add that root now."

As she went back over to the cauldron she had a faint smile on her face that Severus didn't see. If he had he might have realized how much he affected her too.

---------- ok so not up to my usual standards, but I just wanted to get this chapter up. Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it and……… well happy something to everyone else.


	6. Casual Muggle?

Things I do own: Copies of all 6 Harry Potter books, more fiction books than my school library, and this really cute little wallet that is grey and white pin-stripe

Things I do not own: Harry Potter, any of the songs that I have used in this story (except the first one in this chapter, I wrote it) I also wish Severus said such nice things about _my_ singing. He tells me I suck.

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Severus walked into his lab lost in thought. One year ago he never would have imagined having Hermione as an apprentice. Now he couldn't imagine his life without her. He was almost in a daze as he walked into the room that is until he heard Hermione singing. She didn't have her CD player on but she sounded even better than usual. He assumed she had written the song

_And I've been to the other side_

_And baby let me tell you_

_The grass ain't much greener_

_And life ain't much better than here_

_You may think that you have it so rough_

_And life's just so tough_

_Well I just wish you knew_

_My life would be so much worse_

_Without you to brighten up my day_

_because_

_I've been to the other side a_

_And baby let me tell you_

_The grass ain't much greener _

_And life ain't much better than here_

_No, life ain't much better than here_

Hermione was startled to hear clapping and as she turned around she blushed. Severus was standing on the other side of the room clapping with a smile on his face. _He looks so handsome when he smiles_. She had gotten used to thoughts like that and didn't blush when they occurred any more. He looked younger this way, but she had apparently been looking too long.

"What is it?' he asked, suddenly feeling self conscious.

"Oh nothing," she said in a daze, "But you look really good when you smile, you should do it more often."

Somehow she had avoided blushing while saying that, she just wanted to get the truth out for once. Severus, on the other hand, had a pink tinge to his cheeks. This was a very adorable pink tinge in Hermione's opinion.

"I think I should be the one complementing you right now Hermione. I don't think I've heard that song before, who is it by?"

"It's kinda by me. I wrote it. It really isn't a big deal, just something I did in my spare time. Besides it sucks, writing has never been my thing."

"Are you kidding me, that is amazing. I had no idea you wrote your own stuff."

"Well it's not exactly something I go around telling people off the bat. 'Hi, I'm Hermione Granger; did I mention I write my own music?' See somehow I don't think that would work."

"That wasn't entirely what I meant. I just figured that since I have known you for almost eight years and you have been my apprentice for almost 5 months I would have known."

Hermione was confused at that statement; did he mean he wanted to get to know her?" Trying to not let him on to what she was feeling and replied,

"Honestly not even Harry and Ron know that I write music. I can count the number of times they have heard me sing on almost one hand. And usually then we were just joking around, nothing special."

_So she sings for me but not her little friends. How strange, and by strange I mean good._

"Well the reason I came down, besides the fact that this is my lab, is to remind you of the little 'party' that Albus is having. He expects you to be there too, which is good because if I have to suffer through a drunk Minerva singing '_Don't Stop Believing'_

then you do too."

He didn't mention the part running through his head about wanting to have a pretty and intelligent witch to talk to/stare at all night. But what he said was correct; a drunken McGonagall made great black-mail. But it would help if he had someone there that could make fun of her with him. Hermione was the perfect person to do that. She wasn't vicious exactly, she just had a tendency to notice people's bad characteristics and point them out to him. She said it in a manner that wasn't rude, just funny.

"Oh lord, I may have to steal one of your infamous excuses and become suddenly ill…….. and contagious."

"Well then what am I going to do. I guess I could get sick too, but people may start to talk."

"What?"

"You know; you and me, sick at the same time. By the time it got back to us we would me engaged with triplets and planning to move to Bermuda."

Hermione smirked because she knew what he had meant the first time, she just wanted him to say it out loud.

"Oh professor that is ridiculous…"

"I wasn't trying to say anything…"

"…I mean I don't even like Bermuda, I would pick India or something."

Severus learned a new trick that day; he somehow managed to both pale and turn bright red at once.

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Sadly enough later than night found them packing up early to get ready for the 'Party from hell' as Severus referred to it. Hermione ran up to her rooms and started to look through her closet for something to wear. Albus had described the dress code as 'Casual muggle' so she had no problem. She wanted to make an impact on Severus though so she looked for the perfect outfit.

"Aha!" she said out loud, and then realized that it had actually come out. But that didn't matter; she had found the perfect outfit. It was a darker red halter top with gold stitching and little gold sequins. On the bottom she had found a pair of dark-wash straight-leg jeans. Those along with some gold sandals and a small amount of make-up and she was almost ready. All that was left was her hair, and after a small period of debating she waved her wand and it turned into curls that fell part of the way down her back. _Perfect_

Meanwhile Severus wasn't having as much luck. 'Casual muggle' didn't work as easily for him. After 15 minutes of standing and looking at his closet he grabbed a pair of black jeans and a dark green button down shirt. He ran a comb through his hair and left, praying that Hermione would show up and the night wouldn't be as bad as the usual parties.

---------Ok, now don't yell at me, I cut this short because I wanted to get the next chapter up for my loyal readers (like all 5 of you). But the next chapter will be out soon. Well as long as my Bio teacher doesn't assign too much homework. The next chapter will obviously be the party. Let me put it this way, Minerva isn't the only one who will be tipsy. Severus and Hermione may have a little bit too much to drink also. By the way I know a lot of people in this story are tipsy or at least buzzed. Please be sure that I don't recommend drinking excessively; or if you're a minor, at all. Well now that I got that little drunk disclaimer out of the way…


	7. Gryffindor Spirit

Ok I'm not stopping music in love, but after the next chapter I may have to take a break for a while. I have a lot going on. So I don't own any of this but if I did that would rock my bobby socks. I think this might be it. The last chapter. I will write an epilogue but it won't be very long. Thank you to all of my faithful readers. Look for my other stories.

Hermione walked into the classroom that the party was supposed to be held and saw that quite a few people were already there. Remus Lupin was among the first she noticed and gave him a small wave. Then she noticed who was seated right next to him, Severus. She had gotten into the habit of calling him that in her head now and it was a lot better than 'Professor Snape'.

The first thing she noticed was how good he looked in a pair of black jeans and a green button-up shirt. Very Slytherin. The next thing she noticed was the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off of her. A small smile appeared on her face as she noticed his wide-eyed look of shock, and he apparently liked what he saw. Then he looked up from the vaguely inappropriate place his eyes were before because Remus had elbowed him in the side, and noticed that she was watching him look at her. He blushed very red, much to everyone's amusement. The only thing they didn't see was the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Professor Snape, how have you been in the hour that I saw you last?"

Hermione said the fairly sarcastic voice that only she could pull off

"Oh very well Miss Granger. How about yourself?" he replied, also playacting

By this time most of the commotion Hermione and Severus had caused had settled down. Unfortunately Professor McGonagall had something to say.

Severus, why don't you just call her Hermione, I call Ernie by his first name. Come on then you can do it, say Hermione."

Very well then, I have been absolutely great **_Hermione_**." He drawled

Well Hermione Ernie calls me Minerva too…"

Hermione made a noise of suffering and said. "Oh good **_Severus _**I was so concerned for your safety. I thought Minerva may have had you walking around the school calling all of the paintings by their first names."

Minerva rolled her eyes_ 'they can be so alike sometimes'._ But Severus let out a chuckle. Much to everyone's surprise. Hagrid looked as if he was going to expire on the spot.

"What, I can't laugh now?" Severus asked something similar to annoyance showing through his normally masked features. "Fine Hermione maybe I'll talk to you instead."

And much to Hermione's surprise he did just that. They went over to one of Albus's overstuffed couches and began to chat.

"Well that was amusing." Severus finally stated.

"Yes, although it wouldn't have happened if someone hadn't been staring at me…"

" I was shocked by the large amount of Gryffindor spirit that seemed suddenly encompass the room"

"Yes? And did this 'spirit' happen to be contained in my breasts? Because I do believe that is where you were looking."

"Ridiculous, I was just surprised that muggle fashions left ladies wearing so little."

"Well you appear to be the only one that notices this problem, which once again begs the question. Why do you have such a fascination with my body?"

Thankfully Severus was saved from responding by Albus announcing that they were going to start up the music. Almost all of the professors were up and ready to start dancing. They weren't surprised that Severus didn't get up; he had never danced at the parties before. But then the music came on, to Hermione's great surprise Back in Black started coming out of speakers. She turned to look at Severus in shock and realized that he was smirking.

"Oh my goodness, did you request this?"

"Of course Hermione."

"Well then we are going to dance."

"What!?"

"Well come on Severus. Get up; you are going to dance with me."

Hermione didn't know what had come over her but suddenly she was tired of hiding how she felt. She just wanted to dance with the man she loved. So she did the thing that seemed best at the time. She pulled him to his feet and on to the dance floor.

_'Oh my god' _thought Severus.

_'Oh my god' _thought Hermione.

_'Oh my god'_ thought the rest of the staff except Albus and Remus

_'Finally' _the two matchmakers thought.

By that time Back in Black was over and a new song came on. Hermione smiled as a slow song came on.

_He drowns in his dreams  
An exquisite extreme I know  
He's as damned as he seems  
And more heaven than a heart could hold  
And if I try to save him  
My whole world could cave in  
It just ain't right  
It just ain't right_

Oh and I don't know  
I don't know what is after  
But he's so beautiful  
Such a beautiful disaster  
And if I could hold on  
Through the tears and the laughter  
Would it be beautiful?  
Or just a beautiful disaster

He's magic and myth  
As strong as what I believe  
A tragedy with  
More damage than a soul should see  
And do I try to change him?  
So hard not to blame him  
Hold on tight  
Hold on tight

She had her arms wrapped around his neck and her head against his chest. He had his arms looped around her waist and a dazed look on his face. Albus and Remus started whispering to the other teachers and apprentices and they very quietly left the room leaving the two of them alone. Not that Hermione and Severus noticed at all. As the song finished they realized they were all alone, looked at each other and sat down on the couch for a long awaited talk.

Meanwhile about 15 minutes later Minerva was half way to her room when she realized she had left her wand in the room. When she eventually reached the party room she planned to sneak in and out, Severus and Hermione would never be the wiser. But as she walked in the room she let out a squeak when she saw the aforementioned couple on the couch with Hermione on top. They weren't doing anything dirty, but they were in the middle of a full blown snogging session. They didn't even hear McGonagall as she retrieved her wand and left. Setting a locking charm on the outside of the door so no innocent student or professor would walk in on them like she had done, she left the room with a frown. She had lost her bet to Albus, she thought they would make it until January before they realized that they felt the same way about each other.

So what do you think? Like I said there will be an epilogue. Review and let me know.


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